


A Sunflower's Lover

by mapotofu (owlbethere)



Series: Immortality, Never Finite [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst, M/M, Neck injury, References to Ancient Greek Religion & Lore, Tragedy, internalized ableism, this is a story based on Apollo and Hyacinth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-15
Updated: 2020-08-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:08:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25908616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/owlbethere/pseuds/mapotofu
Summary: A god and a human were not supposed to meet. But they did, bonding over volleyball. Perhaps it shouldn't have come to Atsumu's surprise when he was faced with Hinata's mortality.Or: a story about Atsumu as Apollo and Hinata as Hyacinth.
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Miya Atsumu
Series: Immortality, Never Finite [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1881745
Comments: 4
Kudos: 36





	A Sunflower's Lover

**Author's Note:**

> dear readers, i hope you all are safe and well. please enjoy this story and beware of internalized ableism

**_"You also, Hyacinthus, would have been  
_ set in the sky! if Phoebus had been given**   
**time which the cruel fates denied for you.**   
**But in a way you are immortal too."**

_Metamorphoses, Ovid 1_

If Atsumu had to name the sun god, he would say Hinata Shouyou. Because Hinata was the embodiment of the sun. Shining charisma. Orange hair. A bright smile always on his lips. Atsumu loved the way his mouth said ‘Atsumu-san.’

Meeting him was a coincidence. One day, after another dispute with his brother Osamu, Atsumu decided to drop by a local volleyball tournament to lift his spirits. Merchandise and signages decorated the interior: “MSBY Black Jackals vs. Schweiden Adlers.” As he entered, the sun god was met with a wondrous sight as a wing spiker flew, suspended in the air, slamming the ball through three blockers. The crowd cheered; Atsumu stared, fixated on the figure.

He wanted to toss to that guy, Atsumu decided.

So he met Hinata in his mortal form, hoping to see the man again. And they did. Once. Twice. They met countless times, a human and a god bonding over their shared love for volleyball. Soon, tossing and spiking led to chatting during walks and sharing a bed.

Oh yes, Atsumu fell head over heels for a mortal named Hinata Shouyou.

🌻 🌻 🌻

“Atsumu-san, give me a toss!” Hinata yelled.

“Okay!”

It was another Saturday, the weekends were now reserved for Hinata. (Atsumu was not shirking his duties, no matter what Osamu said.) After long practices on Fridays, Hinata would arrive on the doorstep of Atsumu’s rented house, a weekend bag slung over his shoulders. Over time, the bag grew lighter and lighter as Hinata left his belongings in the purposely empty drawer, on the countertop in the bathroom, and in the kitchen cabinets.

Sometimes, Atsumu would wake up to the smell of miso and grilled mackerel. Hinata made himself at home, dancing in the kitchen, snacking on a piece of Meiji dark chocolate, a guilty pleasure that he indulged in. Atsumu learned that Hinata could never resist buying some from the nearby convenience store after finding a stash in the fridge. Those idyllic moments allowed Atsumu the pretense of being mortal with his lover.

Playing volleyball with Hinata was another thing he cherished. Just a setter and a spiker.

“Alright, here’s another one!” Atsumu threw a perfect toss, his ten fingers touching the ball.

The ball flew towards Hinata who was in mid-air. Instead of landing in the waiting palm, the ball swerved.

“Eh?”

Crack!

Hinata’s neck wrenched to the side from the surprising force of the ball. Pain bloomed before it receded into the recesses of the mind as the young man collapsed onto the ground like a puppet cut from its strings.

“Shouyou-kun!” Atsumu cried, rushing to his lover’s side. He kneeled down, hands hovering over Hinata’s body. “H-how are you feeling? How is your neck?”

“Fine,” Hinata murmured, eyes fluttering. Then his brown eyes shot open, wide with panic. “Atsumu-san, I can’t move.”

“Can’t move what?”

“I can’t move anything. I can’t lift my arm. I can’t feel anything.” Hinata stared helplessly at the immortal.

No no no no no.

Atsumu muttered to himself. Unwilling to think of his lover’s mortality, Atsumu left Hinata’s side to grab his Pocari Sweat left at the side. He returned to Hinata. “Here,” he said, lifting the opened bottle to Hinata’s lips, tilting it upwards.

Hinata drank without question. Instead of the sweetness that he associated with the sports drink, a subtle tang hit his tongue. It tasted familiar yet unfamiliar at the same time.

“Tasty,” he commented.

Atsumu tried to smile but ended up with a grimace. He waited, hoping for something to happen. But nothing did. Hinata remained laying on the ground with a deadly neck fracture. Atsumu sat, shoulders slumped.

What was life after Hinata? Atsumu could not bear to think of the possibility. Yet, it grew before his eyes and desperately hoped it would not turn into reality. If he was the sun for the whole world, Hinata was **_his_** sun.

Then, Atsumu lifted his head, his eyes lit with determination. He had to do something.

“Atsumu-san, it’s okay.”

“No, it’s not. I’m going to try and fix this.” Atsumu coaxed Hinata to drink more ambrosia as his other hand fluttered around his lover’s neck. Pulling the power within him, Atsumu tried to heal the injury.

But the fates were cruel. Although Hinata’s thread had not been cut, it was on its last strand, barely there. No matter what Atsumu did, it failed. Hinata Shouyou, rising volleyball star in Japan’s V-League, remained on the ground, motionless. He could never fly again.

“Atsumu-san,” Hinata called softly. His eyes pleased as if he wanted to touch Atsumu in reassurance.

Finally, Atsumu stopped his efforts, forced to face the truth. He cried. Tears dripped onto Hinata’s face. “I’m sorry, Shouyou-kun. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to fix this.” Atsumu sobbed, hunched over his lover.

“Shhh,” Hinata tried to soothe him.

But Atsumu’s tears ran and ran as the immortal continued to mourn for his lover and his future.

“I love you, Shouyou-kun.”

“And I love you, Atsumu-san.”

Hinata held Atsumu’s gaze, his breathing becoming heavier by the minute. Oh, how he wished he could hold his lover’s face in his hands for the last time. He had known the moment he hit the floor that his sports career had ended. Fallen while playing his beloved sport then unable to touch his lover. Hinata felt powerless.

“I think you should kill me.”

“What?” Atsumu blinked in shock.

“There’s no way I can return to my life,” Hinata reasoned. “And if you can’t heal me, then there’s nothing the doctors can do to help.”

“I can take care of you,” Atsumu said firmly. He caressed Hinata’s hair, still sweaty from practice. “There’s no issue. I can support you, I will love you until the end of time.”

“No.”

“Why?”

Hinata did not reply, standing by his choice.

“Fine.” Atsumu relented with a heavy heart, obeying Hinata’s wish. He leaned forward, kissing his lover. As the two lovers shared their last moments, Atsumu gathered his power and wrapped it around his lover, tucking Hinata in as he usually did at night.

And then it was over. The sun god kneeled in an empty indoor court, alone except for a potted plant. Atsumu gathered the pot, carrying it to his chest as he stood.

“Shouyou-kun, I’m sorry. I just couldn’t end your life,” Atsumu murmured. He smoothed his fingers over the sunflower.

When he returned to his residence, he carefully set the sunflower by his bedroom window.

(News of Hinata’s disappearance circulated and died down. For Atsumu, life returned back to pre-Hinata, dull and monotonous. Living with the sunflower, Atsumu kept Hinata’s belongings in its place, going to lengths to preserve them.)

🌻 🌻 🌻

Atsumu had known that a god and a human could never be together. They had different paths that were not supposed to cross. But it did. Hinata Shouyou had touched his being, changing him. Now, he forever looked towards Atsumu, waiting, yearning.

And Atsumu reciprocated. He showered the sunflower with all his love. If only he could be mortal for Hinata, if only he could shed his immortality as the sun god.

Time passed and the two stayed together, a god and a sunflower.

**Author's Note:**

> this fic was inspired by a conversation with a dear friend. we were discussing greek myth au's and the story of hyacinth came to mind. also, did you know that hinata (日向) and sunflower (向日葵) shared two kanji? well now you know
> 
> 1\. the passage from Ovid's _Metamorphoses_ taken from this [translation](http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0028%3Abook%3D10%3Acard%3D143) made available by Perseus Digital Library, Tufts University back


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